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Spring Sports Impress

SLUH has made a strong showing with its spring sports teams in recent past, and this year was no exception. The water polo team won an unprecedented fourth consecutive state title, and lacrosse won its first-ever state title. The track and volleyball squads placed third in state, and the baseball and tennis teams went deep into the playoffs, making the state’s “Elite Eight.”

Following are highlights from each spring sports team at the varsity level:

Baseball

The baseball team made it to the state’s “Elite Eight” before falling to eventual state finalist Ft. Zumwalt South. The Jr. Bills, led by Coach Steve Nicollerat, finished the season in the top 10 of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch rankings with a 19-9 record. They hosted the “Jesuit Classic” in April, and posted wins against Loyola of Chicago, Rockhurst and DeSmet. Their only loss at the classic was to nationally-ranked Creighton Prep. After finishing second in the MCC, the Jr. Bills went on to win their district and qualify for the state tournament.

Golf

The golf team, led by Coach Greg Bantle, finished in fourth place out of 11 teams in the District Tournament. Senior Jeremy Schob qualified for state play and finished 40th overall.

Lacrosse

The lacrosse team finished 14-2 on the season and earned its first-ever state title. Click here for the story. Team members who made the All-State Team include Robbie Fonke, Brian Hof, Andrew Howe, Sean Meagher and Chris Saville. All Conference-First Teamers include Robbie Fonke, Brian Hof, Andrew Howe, Sean Meagher, Chris Saville and Joe Schulte.

Tennis

Coach Patrick Zarrick ’78 led the varsity tennis team to a 12-5 record in duel meets and 4-0 in MCC play. The Jr. Bills placed first in the MCC Tournament, first in the district tournament, and second in sectionals, thus making the state’s “Elite Eight.” Senior John Edwards and Sophomore Greg Marifian qualified for individual competition in the State Tournament. Marifian went deep in the tournament, finishing sixth place overall in the state.

Track

Coach Jim Linhares led the 2009 Jr. Bills to a third place finish in the state. This was the third time in the past five years the Jr. Bills have finished in the top three at state, including the State Championship in 2006.

Season highlights included championships in the MCC Relays, the University City Invitational, and the Clayton Invitational. The Jr. Bills were the MCC champions at all levels (Varsity, JV and Freshman).

Individual All-State performances included:

  • Double State Champ Ronnie Wingo: The 100m in 10.59 and the 200m in 21.44 (21.39 in a prelim).

  • 4 x 800 Relay State Champs, the first for this event in SLUH’s history. Austin Cookson, David Kuciejczyk-Kernan, Caleb Ford, and Nick Seckfort won the final with a time of 7:51.49, a new SLUH record.

  • Austin Cookson placed second in 1600m with a time of 4:16.03 and won additional points by placing 11th in 3200m.

  • Nick Seckfort placed second in 800m and set a new school record of 1:53.74.

  • Caleb Ford contributed points by placing 9th in 1600m and 14th in 3200m.

  • Kevin Graves added to the team total with a 13th place finish in discus with throw of 149'02".

Volleyball

The varsity volleyball team, led by Paul Scovill and Dan Becvar ‘02, finished with a 25-5 overall record and 5-3 in MCC competition. The Jr. Bills won the Parkway Central Tournament in April and reached the state semifinals, losing to the eventual-champions of DeSmet.

Water Polo

The SLUH varsity water polo team earned its fourth consecutive state championship in May, defeating second-seeded DeSmet 9-4. The Jr. Bills wrapped up a 30-1 season, suffering their only loss of the past three years to Belen Jesuit High School of Miami, Florida. The SLUH water polo team has now earned 14 state championships in its history, the most ever for any school in the area.

Several Jr. Bills were recognized with post-season honors by area coaches. Seniors Trent Going and John Savio were All-District Honorable Mention, and seniors John Heafner, Matt Hohenberger, Michael O’Neill, and William Page were All-District First Team. No school had placed as many as four players on the All-District First Team since 1994, when the feat was accomplished by SLUH.

John Heafner was selected as the Missouri District Offensive Player of the Year, while Michael O’Neill was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row. (John Heafner is the third Heafner brother to win the Offensive Player of the Year Award, following Jim ’07 and Tim ’05.)

In addition, Paul Baudendistel was recognized as the Missouri Water Polo Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Published: June 03, 2009 | Categories: News Section, Sports, Parents, Alumni, Students, Homepage, Faculty & Staff
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